Power management for a graphics processing unit or other circuit

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system includes power management control that controls a duty cycle of a processor to manage power. The duty cycle may be the amount of time that the processor is powered on as a percentage of the total time. By frequently powering up and powering down the processor during a period of time, the power consumption of the processor may be controlled while providing the perception that the processor is continuously available. For example, the processor may be a graphics processing unit (GPU), and the period of time over which the duty cycle is managed may be a frame to be displayed on the display screen viewed by a user of the system.

Description

PRIORITY INFORMATION[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14 / 549,656, filed Nov. 21, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,494,994, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13 / 090,459, filed Apr. 20, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,924,752. The above are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.BACKGROUNDTechnical Field[0002]Embodiments described herein are related to the field of power management in integrated circuits and systems employing integrated circuits.Description of the Related Art[0003]As the number of transistors included on an integrated circuit “chip” continues to increase, power management in the integrated circuits continues to increase in importance. Power management can be critical to integrated circuits that are included in mobile devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, smart phones, laptop computers, net top computers, etc. These mobile devices often rely on battery power, and reducing p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is about managing the workload of a processor based on temperature measurements. When the temperature is rising, the processor's duty cycle is reduced to prevent over-heating. When the processor is running at a reduced duty cycle, a power management system lowers the voltage and frequency to reduce power consumption and decrease temperature. This allows the processor to complete tasks faster, while still maintaining optimal performance. The technical effect of this patent is better thermal control and management of processor performance to prevent over-heating and ensure optimal performance.

Problems solved by technology

On the other hand, power gating reduces performance because the power gated circuitry cannot be used until power is restored and the circuitry is initialized for use.

The tradeoff between performance (especially perceived performance from the user perspective) and power conservation is complex and difficult to manage.

Accordingly, the processor, operating more slowly, may take longer to finish tasks and thus the utilization increases.

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